ong over rocks and bushes as best I
might in my fettered and crippled state. The blood, however, had
dried over my wounds, and the cool sea breeze playing upon my forehead
refreshed me, and helped me to take a clearer view of my position.

It was plain from their talk that these men were smugglers. As such,
they were not likely to have any great love for the Government, or
desire to uphold King James in any way. On the contrary, their goodwill
would probably be with Monmouth, for had I not seen the day before a
whole regiment of foot in his army, raised from among the coaster folk?
On the other hand, their greed might be stronger than their loyalty, and
might lead them to hand me over to justice in the hope of reward. On the
whole it would be best, I thought, to say nothing of my mission, and to
keep my papers secret as long as possible.

But I could not but wonder, as I was dragged along, what had led these
men to lie in wait for me as they had done. The road along which I had
travelled was a lonely one, and yet a fair number of travellers bound
from the West through Weston to Bristol must use it. The gang could
not lie in perpetual guard over it. Why had they set a trap on this
particular night, then? The smugglers were a lawless and desperate body,
but they did not, as a rule, descend to foot-paddery or robbery. As long
as no one interfered with them they were seldom the first to break the
peace. Then, why had they lain in wait for me, who had never injured
them? Could it possibly be that I had been betrayed? I was still turning
over these questions in my mind when we all came to a halt, and the
Captain blew a shrill note on a whistle which hung round his neck.

The place where we found ourselves was the darkest and most rugged spot
in the whole wild gorge. On either side great cliffs shot up, which
arched over our heads, with a fringe of ferns and bracken on either lip,
so that the dark sky and the few twinkling stars were well-nigh hid.
Great black rocks loomed vaguely out in the shadowy light, while in
front a high tangle of what seemed to be brushwood barred our road. At a
second whistle, however, a glint of light was seen through the branches,
and the whole mass was swung to one side as though it moved upon a
hinge. Beyond it a dark winding passage opened into the side of the
hill, down which we went with our backs bowed, for the rock ceiling was
of no great height. On every side of us sounded the throbbing of